Haunted
Page 109
Savannah let out an oath and twisted. Then her eyes went wide as the woman pressed the knifepoint to the base of her skull. Lucas and I both stopped.
"What a pretty child," the woman crooned. She reached up to stroke Savannah's hair.
"Let her go, Suzanne," I said.
Simmons turned toward me, frowning. "You know me? How strange. Is this pretty child yours?"
She looked me—Paige—up and down, then glanced at Lucas. "No, she's much too old to be yours. A niece perhaps?"
Simmons paused, eyes rolling back in her head. Then she smiled. "Oh, how interesting. So this child belongs to her, the one who tricked me."
She traced the knifepoint around to Savannah's throat. A paper-thin trail of blood welled up on Savannah's neck.
I snarled and started to lunge at her, but a motion from Lucas stopped me. Behind Simmons's back, he shook his head. He was right, of course. I was a dozen feet away. She could slit my daughter's throat before I got to her.
"Oh, I will enjoy this," Simmons said, eyes glimmering with the same hunger I'd seen in the visions and in the cemetery. "Now, where to begin… ?"
Lucas motioned again, signaling an idea. I gave the barest nod. Lucas counted down on his fingers as his lips moved in a cast.
Three, two, one.
He launched a fireball, hitting Simmons in the back of the head. The moment she stumbled forward, I slammed Savannah with a knock-back spell, throwing her backward, out of Simmons's grip. Lucas grabbed Savannah and shoved her behind him, then went after the knife.
I raced across the room and snatched Simmons's arm as she spun back toward Lucas and Savannah. I yanked, and kicked at her feet, and she went down. While I fought to hold Simmons, Lucas said something to Savannah. They both cast binding spells. Simmons's arm lashed out at me. Her hand bounced off my shoulder. She growled and kicked, but could barely move her legs.
"It's working," I called to them. "Well enough, at least."
I pinned Simmons easily. As my hands went to her throat, Simmons's eyes blazed. Then her gaze went dull, empty. I squeezed, and her eyes closed. I hesitated. Shit! What if the binding spell killed her? It obviously wasn't working the way it should. Maybe—
Jaime's body leapt up, nearly throwing me off. I held on tight and put my full weight on her. I looked back into her eyes, and knew Simmons was gone.
"Welcome back," I said. "You're a little late, though."
The Nix's lips curled and she bucked beneath me. I squeezed harder. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lucas jump to his feet.
"Keep binding her!" I said. "It's still working. Start a fresh cast."
They did. It didn't bind the Nix, but it kept her demonic strength in check. I bent over her, looking into her bulging eyes as I continued to squeeze her neck.
"Wanna count down with me?" I said. "I figure you have about thirty seconds left."
"Paige!" Savannah yelled. "Stop it! That's still Jaime. You can't kill her."
I tightened my grip. '"Lucas, take her out of here. Please."
Savannah had broken her cast, but the Nix had almost stopped struggling, eyelids flagging as she faded from consciousness.
"Paige! No!"
Savannah grabbed my shoulder to wrench me off Jaime's body. I looked up into her eyes.
"It's not Paige, baby," I said. "It's me."
She blinked. "M-Mom?"
And here was my long-dreamed reunion. At last, looking into my daughter's eyes and having her looking back, knowing it was me… and I had my hands wrapped around the throat of her friend, choking the life from her.
"You have to go, baby," I whispered. "Please. I know what I'm doing. Lucas will explain. I'll take care of Jaime. I promise."
She just stared at me, eyes wide. "Mom?"
I tore my gaze away from hers and looked at Lucas, standing behind her. He nodded and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'll be right outside," Lucas murmured to me. "Call me when you need to bring her back."
He whispered something to Savannah, and she let him lead her from the room. I could feel her stunned gaze on my back until they turned the corner. Then I looked down at the Nix and squeezed. When her body went limp, I held her down and waited for Trsiel to do his job.
Would I know when Trsiel had captured the Nix's spirit? How? I looked down at Jaime's face. Her lips had turned blue and her eyes were glassy, pupils dilated. Shit! I needed to start CPR soon. But if I started it too soon, she might resuscitate before Trsiel had the Nix.
"Lucas!"
By the time he got here, Trsiel was bound to have the Nix. Then he could start CPR and maybe, just maybe, the Fates would give me a few moments with my daughter before they whisked me back.
The back door clicked. Jaime's body began to pulse with a dull glow. As Lucas's running steps tapped up the rear steps, that glow began to separate from Jaime's body, just as it had in the community center.
The Nix's spirit condensed, taking on the features of her true form. Lucas rounded the corner, limping from his wounded leg. I held up a hand.
"Just give it a sec. It's almost over. Is Savannah—?"
"Outside," he said, dropping beside Jaime. He checked her pulse, then turned to me. "She's fading. I need to start—"
"Wait. Just a few more seconds." I cast a quick look around. "Damn it, Trsiel. Where are you?"
"So that's the Nix?" Lucas said, one hand still monitoring Jaime's pulse, the other gesturing at the Nix's spirit.
I started to nod, then stopped. "You can see her? Oh, shit! We shouldn't be able to see her. She should be on the other side. That means Trsiel can't—"
"Eve! We're losing—"
His lips parted in a silent oath, and his head whipped down to Jaime's and started CPR. The Nix's spirit writhed and twisted. For a second, I saw her face clearly in the fog. I grabbed at her, but my hands went right through her form. She threw back her head and laughed. Then, with one last twist, she tore herself free, shot up to the ceiling, and disappeared.
"Goddamn it!"
I drove my fist into the wall. Then I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. Okay, so it hadn't worked. The kids were still safe. As for the Nix, I'd catch her again, this time in the ghost world, where she couldn't escape so easily.
"What a pretty child," the woman crooned. She reached up to stroke Savannah's hair.
"Let her go, Suzanne," I said.
Simmons turned toward me, frowning. "You know me? How strange. Is this pretty child yours?"
She looked me—Paige—up and down, then glanced at Lucas. "No, she's much too old to be yours. A niece perhaps?"
Simmons paused, eyes rolling back in her head. Then she smiled. "Oh, how interesting. So this child belongs to her, the one who tricked me."
She traced the knifepoint around to Savannah's throat. A paper-thin trail of blood welled up on Savannah's neck.
I snarled and started to lunge at her, but a motion from Lucas stopped me. Behind Simmons's back, he shook his head. He was right, of course. I was a dozen feet away. She could slit my daughter's throat before I got to her.
"Oh, I will enjoy this," Simmons said, eyes glimmering with the same hunger I'd seen in the visions and in the cemetery. "Now, where to begin… ?"
Lucas motioned again, signaling an idea. I gave the barest nod. Lucas counted down on his fingers as his lips moved in a cast.
Three, two, one.
He launched a fireball, hitting Simmons in the back of the head. The moment she stumbled forward, I slammed Savannah with a knock-back spell, throwing her backward, out of Simmons's grip. Lucas grabbed Savannah and shoved her behind him, then went after the knife.
I raced across the room and snatched Simmons's arm as she spun back toward Lucas and Savannah. I yanked, and kicked at her feet, and she went down. While I fought to hold Simmons, Lucas said something to Savannah. They both cast binding spells. Simmons's arm lashed out at me. Her hand bounced off my shoulder. She growled and kicked, but could barely move her legs.
"It's working," I called to them. "Well enough, at least."
I pinned Simmons easily. As my hands went to her throat, Simmons's eyes blazed. Then her gaze went dull, empty. I squeezed, and her eyes closed. I hesitated. Shit! What if the binding spell killed her? It obviously wasn't working the way it should. Maybe—
Jaime's body leapt up, nearly throwing me off. I held on tight and put my full weight on her. I looked back into her eyes, and knew Simmons was gone.
"Welcome back," I said. "You're a little late, though."
The Nix's lips curled and she bucked beneath me. I squeezed harder. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lucas jump to his feet.
"Keep binding her!" I said. "It's still working. Start a fresh cast."
They did. It didn't bind the Nix, but it kept her demonic strength in check. I bent over her, looking into her bulging eyes as I continued to squeeze her neck.
"Wanna count down with me?" I said. "I figure you have about thirty seconds left."
"Paige!" Savannah yelled. "Stop it! That's still Jaime. You can't kill her."
I tightened my grip. '"Lucas, take her out of here. Please."
Savannah had broken her cast, but the Nix had almost stopped struggling, eyelids flagging as she faded from consciousness.
"Paige! No!"
Savannah grabbed my shoulder to wrench me off Jaime's body. I looked up into her eyes.
"It's not Paige, baby," I said. "It's me."
She blinked. "M-Mom?"
And here was my long-dreamed reunion. At last, looking into my daughter's eyes and having her looking back, knowing it was me… and I had my hands wrapped around the throat of her friend, choking the life from her.
"You have to go, baby," I whispered. "Please. I know what I'm doing. Lucas will explain. I'll take care of Jaime. I promise."
She just stared at me, eyes wide. "Mom?"
I tore my gaze away from hers and looked at Lucas, standing behind her. He nodded and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'll be right outside," Lucas murmured to me. "Call me when you need to bring her back."
He whispered something to Savannah, and she let him lead her from the room. I could feel her stunned gaze on my back until they turned the corner. Then I looked down at the Nix and squeezed. When her body went limp, I held her down and waited for Trsiel to do his job.
Would I know when Trsiel had captured the Nix's spirit? How? I looked down at Jaime's face. Her lips had turned blue and her eyes were glassy, pupils dilated. Shit! I needed to start CPR soon. But if I started it too soon, she might resuscitate before Trsiel had the Nix.
"Lucas!"
By the time he got here, Trsiel was bound to have the Nix. Then he could start CPR and maybe, just maybe, the Fates would give me a few moments with my daughter before they whisked me back.
The back door clicked. Jaime's body began to pulse with a dull glow. As Lucas's running steps tapped up the rear steps, that glow began to separate from Jaime's body, just as it had in the community center.
The Nix's spirit condensed, taking on the features of her true form. Lucas rounded the corner, limping from his wounded leg. I held up a hand.
"Just give it a sec. It's almost over. Is Savannah—?"
"Outside," he said, dropping beside Jaime. He checked her pulse, then turned to me. "She's fading. I need to start—"
"Wait. Just a few more seconds." I cast a quick look around. "Damn it, Trsiel. Where are you?"
"So that's the Nix?" Lucas said, one hand still monitoring Jaime's pulse, the other gesturing at the Nix's spirit.
I started to nod, then stopped. "You can see her? Oh, shit! We shouldn't be able to see her. She should be on the other side. That means Trsiel can't—"
"Eve! We're losing—"
His lips parted in a silent oath, and his head whipped down to Jaime's and started CPR. The Nix's spirit writhed and twisted. For a second, I saw her face clearly in the fog. I grabbed at her, but my hands went right through her form. She threw back her head and laughed. Then, with one last twist, she tore herself free, shot up to the ceiling, and disappeared.
"Goddamn it!"
I drove my fist into the wall. Then I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. Okay, so it hadn't worked. The kids were still safe. As for the Nix, I'd catch her again, this time in the ghost world, where she couldn't escape so easily.
